Stephen Fry and Richard Dawkins say Pope should not be given ‘honour’ of state visit

A letter signed by more than 50 public figures says that the Pope should not be given the “honour” of a state visit to the UK.

The letter, published today in the Guardian newspaper, argues that while the Pope is free to visit his British followers, his teachings on sexual issues mean he should not be accorded a state visit.

It charges that the Pope has opposed the use of condoms, denied abortion to vulnerable women, opposed gay and lesbian rights and failed to address cases of alleged child abuse.

The letter adds: “The state of which the Pope is head has also resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties (‘concordats’) with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states.

“In any case, we reject the masquerading of the Holy See as a state and the pope as a head of state as merely a convenient fiction to amplify the international influence of the Vatican.